Zou Fang stood among the crowd, surrounded by disciples—most of whom were aspiring breeders.
Some were fresh recruits, those who had only just yesterday earned their place as outer disciples.
He recognized some of their faces.
And they recognized him too.
Whispers erupted around him.
At first, just a murmur, but quickly turning into a steady buzz of hushed voices.
"That's him, right?"
"Yeah, Zou Fang. The one who—"
"The one who just stormed off yesterday!"
"He disrespected the Patriarch's speech!"
"Seriously! The Patriarch was explaining how the sect isn't just about fighting, and then this guy just walked out in the middle of it!"
"How arrogant!"
"How rude!"
"The sect is about balance, about harmony between cultivation and responsibility—and he just walked away like he didn't care!"
"Exactly! The Patriarch was sharing his wisdom, the essence of what it means to be a true cultivator, and Zou Fang acted like it was all nonsense!"
